Do you want this sportscar?

It is a BMW M Roadster and it would be best described as a rocket on wheels. A fantastic piece of enginering that most anyone of us would be proud to own and have a blast driving.
So, if your answer is yes, then stay tuned and I'll tell you how this 22 year old University student came to be the proud owner? And you can do the same thing!
First off, no he didn't have it given to him, he didn't scrimp and save nor did he win it. He just used his brain and some perserverance.
Jared started out with a $2,500 truck that his parents gave him when he turned 16. He then proceeded to sell that truck for a modest profit and repeated that basic formula for the next 6 years until he ended with the beautiful machine you see pictured.
He spent many enjoyable hours on the internet searching for the next BMW always looking for a bargain, a car that he felt comfortable he could later sell for a profit. We've all heard that cars depreciate, well for this young man, that is not his reality. In the process he has become an expert on BMW's. His mechanical knowledge as well as product knowledge have grown immensely. The BMW Roadster you see in the picture was imported from another country, so now he has that experience as well.
So what can we learn from Jared?

That the path to success is achieved, one step at a time.
Pick an area of specialization.
Keep the faith and belief that you will keep getting better.
Never stop dreaming.
It's not just the destination but you can have a lot of fun along the way.
It's not work if you are having fun.
So far Jared has had the excitement of getting a newer car 9 times!

So is he finally satisfied....NO WAY. ...he's already thinking about the next newer BMW in his future. After all he's still got a few more years in University before he settles into a real job, so he can do much better. And yes, I'm proud to say, he is my son!

P.S. If you would like to be the proud owner of this beautiful sportscar and don't want to do what he did, you could always buy if from him? His email is: jrmcbeth@ucalgary.ca

Eduardo

Surf on by!

after this weekend if my techno personnel (my son and his buddy) make the appropriate changes the new website address will be....www.truthteller.ca

please put it into your favorites and come back for updates...thanks...Eduardo

Pay attention string bean!

Within the next day or so this site will be changing.....you will find us at:

www.truthteller.ca

please make sure you add it to your favourite's

Hopefully, if everything works out if you go to the exisiting site it will direct you automatically to the new site....again it is...

www.truthteller.ca

we've had too much fun to lose you in the change!

Wisdom from some really smart people

Now for something a little different. I am very fond of quotations and I sometimes think that the really good ones are little books of wisdom condensed down to a few lines. Since I am part native I thought I'd share a few native words of wisdom. When I read these I can't help but think back to the early white settlers to North America, most of whom thought the Indians were savages and somehow less human. Enjoy....

"It does not require many words to speak the truth"

Chief Joseph

"We are part of the earth and it is part

of us. This we know. The earth does

not belong to us, we belong to the earth"

Chief Seattle

"Children must early learn the beauty

of generosity. They are taught to give

what they prize most, that they may

taste the happiness of giving"

Ohiyesa

"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly

in the night...it is the little shadow

which runs across the grass and loses

itself in the sunset"

Chief Crowfoot

"you must speak straight so that

your words may go as sunlight

into our hearts"

Chief Cochise

"We do not want riches but we do want

to train our children right. Riches

would do us no good. We could not

take them to the other world. We want

peace and love"

Red Cloud

I hope you enjoyed them?

Eduardo

The art of doing nothing

I know I make this look easy! However there is a fine art to doing nothing. People who know me, would say I have mastered it. But wait amigos.....did you know that....

"Free time is the mother of inspiration"

So while I may appear in this picture to be doing nothing, behind the scene my brain is open to receive whatever great inspiration the universe wants to send me. Why, I was prepared to sit in that position soaking up nature as long as it took to feel inspired. So in doing nothing I was being highly productive.
This is not as easy as it looks and actually takes a little practice to master. It is imperative that you have peace and quiet. No one is allowed to disturb you in any way while you waiting for inspiration. Sounds good so far, right?
The only part that takes effort is to control your thoughts. No negative thoughts are permitted. You should think of your thoughts as being like water, let them flow away. Don't try to retain or dwell on anything. Yes, it is a form of meditation.

"time is precious, waste it well"

I find it works best in a tropical location unfortunately it works just as well anywhere in nature, while going for a walk, taking a shower or a bath. Just empty your head (some think I do that well too) and let the inspiration in.
Those people that don't know that you can think without talking have no idea what they are missing...

"the time you enjoy wasting
is not wasted time"
Plato

Eduardo

World's greatest money tip!

This is nothing short of beautiful...
It comes from Charles Dickens book, 'David Copperfield' (no not the magician).

"annual income, twenty pounds, annual expenditures, nineteen six, result happiness"

"annual income, twenty pounds, annual expenditures, twenty pounds ought six, result misery"

That's your money class for today...short and sweet!

Eduardo

How to make your dreams come true

This is called a 'Vision Board'. It is as you can see a visual representation of what someone's dreams might be.

The concept is to surround yourself with images of who you want to become, what you want, where you will live and what you will do. It is not limited to material possessions, use your imagination.

It is a statement to your conscious and subconscious about where you are going. Your true self in the future. It adds clarity to your visions and goals. And it is a very powerful tool to keep you on track and positive.

Clip images from magazines or download them from the internet and paste or print on your board. Write in positive affirmations. Have fun with it and dream really big. Then put it somewhere you will see it often.

This technique is all the rage after it was revealed in the book the Secret, but its been used successfully by very many for a long time. And the reason its been used for so long is simple...it works!

Eduardo

Important discovery

Do your remember a few posts ago, I told you about a study done at Stanford University? They proved how they could change a person's belief's by having them write about something that was the oppositie of what they believed. A few months later they retested the same students and found they had in deed changed what they believed in.
Eureka! It has occurred to me (the obvious) that we might be able to change our own beliefs by using the same method. Suppose you have a limiting belief, like say...losing weight, getting fit or quitting smoking is difficult. So then what you do is sit down and write an essay with a contrary opinion....losing weight, getting fit or smoking is easy. According to the tested results within a couple of months, you should have a different belief! Now would you be interested in taking a half hour out of your day to lose weight, get fit or quit smoking? If your answer is no, I don't have the time, then you have a serious problem amigo.
Say goodbye to my procrastination habit.

Eduardo

Sunshine and spring

Spring is in the air and that makes me happy! So of course the natural thing is blog more about happiness.
I've read many times that if you want to find happiness you should start by looking within. I agree but eventually I believe that you will end up looking outward. Let me explain.
After you have taken care of your own and your families needs and desires you reach a level of satisfaction. Then it is logical to look outward and ask yourself, how can I help others? How can I be of service towards the betterment of mankind and the world.
You can be most happy in the attainment of your goals and dreams, but then what? It is in our nature to strive for something better. Once our needs and desires are taken care of, we are ready to look outward. The ultimate goal for a human is to do something to make the world a better place to live in. In the meantime enjoy your journey and make a few people happy along the way...

a kind gesture
a smile
a gentle touch
to a wounded soul
your insignificant effort
can mean so much

to the lonely
to the depressed
whose feelings are so intense
your karma echoes
you changed their world
and your physic reward
will be immense

(I made a waitress happy with a smile and a big tip, I made one of my friends happy by letting him win at our noon hour squash game)

Eduardo

What is your big idea?

We've all had good ideas at one time or another. Maybe you've had an idea for a product, service or business. It could be a way to save money or improve a relationship. Ideas constantly flow through our head and are usually forgotten. The trick is to retreive and utilize the best ideas.

One technique I use is the big idea card you see printed in this article. In fact I have several of them and put them in places where I will see them often such as in the car and taped to the computer. I like to make them colorful and interesting, it seems to stir my creativity. Once the ideas start flowing it is vital that you record them, no matter whether they are good or mediocre. You can re-evaluate them later.

Since I've started using this technique, I have expanded the idea and use my 'magic cards' for other things. Let me give you an example what you could use them for? As you can see from the other card above, you could use it help you develop a positive belief about getting fit and healthy. You could also use them to solve a problem or reach a goal. The possibilities are endless. And they work!

There is no big secret why they work? It's just a positive reminder of what you are trying to manifest in your life. They keep you on track and motivated. Enjoy!

Eduardo

Exercise the easy way

Lucky you, I found a way to get more benefit from less effort when it comes to exercising. This is based on a recent study from Stanford University.
Here's what they found. First, they recommend a 30 minute aerobic workout three times per week. That's not really that hard but let's make it easier and get more benefit. Instead they now recommend that you have 3 ten minute exercise periods instead of one 30 minute one. So you could have a 10 minute jog or vigorous walk in the morning, one at noon hour and another after work or in the evening. It is important if you walk to walk fast enough to get your heart rate up.
Here is the benefit of the new easier approach. When you finish your exercise your heart rate stays elevated for up to 30 minutes after. That burns calories. So the three cool down periods instead of one, burns more calories.
And since its now officially spring the fresh air will do you wonders. Want another benefit? I found several references from physcologists that say....a good vigorous walk is worth 100 hours of therapy. Not that you need therapy but what the heck you could take your partner with you!

Eduardo

More happy thoughts....

I've done a lot of thinking and reading on this topic (and blogging too) since I've had the belief most of my life, that the most important endeavor of my life is to be happy. For the most part I've been successful. And I'm happy to report that my belief was shared by some guy named Socrates (and he was a pretty heavy thinker).
So here's some of what I believe...
Those who set out to seek happiness seldom find it. They do find momentary happiness in materialism, escapism, alcohol, drugs, sex to name a few. This is only temporary and fades pretty quick.
The ideal situation would be to be able to summon happiness without artificial substances and to be able to summon it at will. We don't need to be happy all of the time nor really do we want to. We need the contrast to appreciate the beauty of life. Sometimes we need to grieve or just be pissed off. When we're done with the anger, frustration or whatever wouldn't be great to say to yourself, 'ok, enough of that, now its time to happy.'
That would be great to think of happiness as a positive energy that you can bring to life and radiate at will. And for it not to be up to external factors to make you happy. Something you can summon at will!
So far I have discovered three techniques that work for me. The first is to write out a bunch of things that I feel grateful for. I've been doing this everyday for the past 6 weeks and sometimes more than once a day if I'm feeling a little down about something.....it works.
The second technique is to recall times when I felt really happy (don't worry I'm not going to share my personal stuff with you, some things are better left in the bedroom). The only problem with this technique is when you are feeling down it isn't really that easy to recall a moment of hillarity. So this works better if you record those really good moments by writing them down in a book or on your computer, so you can retrieve them on demand. Think of these as mood shifters. This also works very well.
The third method is explained by the science known as Neuro Linguistics Programming or NLP. It says that that physiology and your brain are connected. In other words if you act a certain way you start feeling that way. Normally when you are depressed or sad your shoulders slump and your eyes and head sag a bit. When you are happy you are more upright and energetic. So if you want to get happy act like you are happy. Have you seen the commercial for one of the lotto's where the person does their 'happy dance' because they won the lotto, yes, that's what I'm talking about. Change your physiology and do your happy dance and you will quckly start feeling better. And if you do it in public, well then you won't be the only one laughing.
If you have any other ideas that work for you to get you jiggy let me know?

You just hit the jackpot...

Here is some powerful and I do mean powerful research that came from the book..Influence: Science and Practice....you must read this!

One of the most potent forms of persuasion has to do with people’s innate need to be consistent. Studies show that people will ignore logic and information to be consistent. According to the research, humans are hardwired for consistency over reason. You already knew that: People don’t switch political parties or religions easily. What you didn’t know is how quickly and easily a manipulator can lock someone into a position.

For example, researchers asked people to write essays in support of a random point of view they did not hold. Months later, when surveyed, the majority held the opinion they wrote about, regardless of the topic. Once a person commits an opinion to writing – even an opinion he does not hold – it soon becomes his actual opinion. Not every time, but MOST of the time. The people in these experiments weren’t exposed to new information before writing their contrived opinions. All they did was sit down and write an opinion they didn’t actually have, and months later it became their actual opinion. The experiment worked whether the volunteers were writing the pro or the con position on the random topic.

So here is what I'm thinking....Imagine the influence a teacher could have to sway the political direction of his students? Imagine what marketers for companies could do with this? Imagine what you could do with this? This probably explains how extremists can get students to go blow themselves for the cause?

And before you know it, some ugly guy is getting all the pretty girls!

I have a gift, just for you...

More specifically it is a technique, one that will get people to do things for you that they wouldn't normally do for others. It is very powerful idea that has been tested and proven effective. I should charge you something for it but since you were kind enough to stop by my site (and I like you) I'll be only to happy to share it with you! Please use it with discretion.
Let's imagine that you arrive at a busy restaurant, a airline ticket booth or a hotel and you would like something extra. Perhaps you would like a better room or a better seat by the window. Here is a special phrase you can use that will get you surprising results. Please make sure you use the exact phrase.....

I don't know if you have the authority
or the power, but I need a favour.
Can you help me (then give your request)

Here is why it works...
What it is really saying is, if you can't help me, then you have no power or authority. It also becomes a challenge and when they do help you, they then think to themselves, that you think they have power and authority. This makes them feel powerful and good. Also, asking for a favour is very hard to refuse. Together they are a powerful mix.
This powerful technique can be used for many different things besides getting a better seat in a popular restaurant. Use your imagination?

Just trying to make your life fun, easy and more abundant!

Eduardo

They still sell snake oil

A hundred years ago, it was common in the United States for travelling salesman to cross the country selling cures for all that ails you. And guess what? A lot of their cures worked! Well, at least they worked for a short time.

What few people knew was that some of those magical potions contained cocaine and alcohol. So naturally those who purchased the products got a short term good feeling. This led to their success. Long term? No benefit.

Today, we have a different kind of 'snake oil salesman'. The modern version peddle a pile of self-help products that have now been proven to not work.

One such product is subliminal tapes. Million and millions of tapes have been sold to a gullible public to help you lose weight, quit smoking or to attract incredible wealth. Science has now proven beyond any doubt through countless studies,

they have absolutely no benefit! This is a multi-million dollar industry based on a sham.

There is a short term placebo effect where people claim to feel something. However in terms of concrete results.....nothing! The only thing they do is make money for the producers of this scam.

Here is an urban myth that is often used to sell these tapes and other products. You only use 10% of your brain. Again scientific studies prove conclusively this is an impossiblity. If you only used 10% of your brain people would look at us and say, "look at Eduardo he is laying there motionless and not breathing, it's almost like he is dead" Because that is what you would be, dead. Sellers of subliminal tapes often profess that their tapes will help you access the 90% of your brain that you haven't been using.

There is a new branch of phsychology that has been expanding rapidly, it is called Positive Psyhcology and it is examining things like what is it that leads to happiness and success. The good news for us is that we can find out what really works and what is just todays version of snake oil.

"its like springtime in my mind

beautiful ideas keep popping up

everywhere"

Eduardo

TGIM....Thank God it's Monday!

Bet I can read your mind? Right about now you are thinking to yourself, is he nuts? Truthfully?Yes, but in a good way. But consider this.....my goal is to make my business fun and to make fun my business.

Since like most of you, the biggest part of my business day is dealing with people, I look for ways to make it fun. And having fun, teasing and joking with clients makes my day a whole lot easier. Sometimes it feels more like a play day then a work day. And if you have some material goals then lucky you. No time like the start of the week to take the first step towards its accomplishment.

So I'm looking forward to the week and wish the same for you. To help you start your week off, I have a little story for you.

One day a young lady who lived in the far north was visiting a large southern city for the first time. She had never been to a town larger than 200 people. She needed to cross a very busy street and she was terrified. She was frozen with fear for a long time. Finally a man came beside her and said, "Do you mind if I cross the street with you" She felt like God had just answered her prayers.

He held her hand and started acrosss the street. Cars were coming from every direction, some honked, some screamed and some came to screeching stops in front of them. Finally they reached the safety of the other side of the street.

The young lady was furious and yelled at the man. "You idiot, you almost got us killed! The way you were walking it was almost like you were blind. "Lady, I am blind" he said. "That is why I needed to cross the street with somebody."

So here's your thought for the day...

if you don't follow your own thoughts

you'll follow the thoughts of someone else"

TGIM!

Thanks a lot for stopping by!

When I started blogging I wondered if anyone would ever read this stuff? So far this month this little blog is on the way to 6,000 hits. I figure that's pretty good and I am more than pleased. So to all of who take the time to stop by for a visit....Thank you!

I should also say thanks to those of you who have recommended this site to your friends!

Now I would like to invite you to make comments on any article your read here. At the bottom of each article there is the word comment, just click on it, tell us what you are thinking and let the rest of us know whether you agree or disagree. That is what makes a blog great, when others jump in with their comments.

A few of you with sharp eyes have noticed that I sometimes make small changes to articles after they have been posted. That is because if I think of something that I believe whould improve the original post I make the changes. I view this blog as organic, meaning I want it to grow and improve.

You will also see my email address under the picture. Please contact me if you have any ideas for future articles or other suggestions for my blog.

Once again, thanks so much for taking time to visit!

P.S. That too cute kid you see in the picture is Phoenix, my neice.

OK wise guy, define happiness?

Since I've been blogging a lot about happiness, a friend asked me to define it? That sounds simple enough, right?
Not so my friends. Forget the dictionary it gives you only a superficial answers such as delighted or pleased. And don't bother with the so called great philosophers because they will take up a 700 page book to get to some vague answer. They will break it down as lasting happiness or fleeting, natural or chemically induced and so forth. Fear not my friends, I just spent the past two weeks reading everything I could find and I have reached a conclusion!
Here is my definition of 'true happiness' (forget the superficial momentary stuff). True happiness is the ability to radiate positive energy regardless of external or internal circumstances.
This is not to ignore fear, sorrow or anger but to have the ability to feel those emotions and after a period of time to come back to happiness because that's what you decided you want. So then it follows that not many of us have mastered true happiness. Put your guilt aside and its quite possible to watch the nightly news and see and hear stories of murder and starvation feeling sorrow and even anger, while underneath the happiness remains waiting for you to decide to bring it to the surface.
How much happiness we experience has a whole lot to do with where we put our focus. It's obvious that if we focus most of our attention on things that don't make us feel good we aren't going to be happy very much. So being happy has a whole lot to do with controlling your thoughts, think positive happy thoughts and that's the way you will feel.
I just got a great idea! Think of a moment when you experienced 'perfect happiness'. Record that moment and any others you can think of, so that you may re-visit it any time you wish. Those magic moments are precious. Sometimes they might be hilarous moments and other times it might be a time when you felt connected with nature or god, you decide. Then whenever you feet a little unhappy you could easily recall the good stuff and instantly change the way you feel. An instant mood changer (sounds like an infomercial).
One more thought, crap happens in this world that is out of your control. Try to remember this; it is very difficult to change the world. It is however, easier and a lot more fun to change the way you look at it.
Happiness is the most contagious energy on the planet. The more we bring into the world the better it is for everyone. Nothing can bring us nor do we really want to be in a state of pernament happiness. Happiness is a moment to moment thing that with practice is accessible on demand.
I'll leave you with two thoughts...

Happiness doesn't come from getting what you want
it comes from wanting what you get

Don't sweat the small stuff
because its all small stuff

GRRR.....THAT DAMN MONK!

Remember the book 'Happiness' I told you about? Yeah, the one written by the Buddist Monk. Well, I've been reading (or should I say suffering) though it for the past 3 nights.

I thought when you became a monk, you gave up everything? Not so, our friend kept his academic ways when he joined the monastry. When he decided to share his knowledge of happiness, he hid the damn secrets so deep in a pile of written meanderings that it strained my poor brain to the point of exhaustion!

I awoke this morning thinking about how difficult his book was to read and it reminded me of some past experiences.

First, there was the time I signed up for an Intermediate Photography course at our local college. After the first three classes I had learned or should I say I heard lots about how film was made and the history of photography. They still hadn't told me where the power button was.

Another time the same college offered a 'Beginners course in accoustic guitar'. I've always thought it would be cool to play the guitar for the ladies so I signed up again. Four classes later, I still hadn't touched a guitar.....I quit!

So now I'm thinking that if they offered me choice of free admission to Harvard University or to 'Coles Notes University', well you know which one I would choose?

Back to this happiness topic, wouldn't it be great if the only teachers who were hired were happy people. Happy teachers wouldn't torture us with boring lectures about stuff we don't need to know. They would all be professors from 'Coles Notes University'. So of course young students (male) would spend much less time in class and have more time for valuable things like; parties and chasing girls.

Here's a short story about Calvin Coolridge, a past President. Cal had just come out of a church after listening to a 2 hour sermon. A reporter rushed up to him and asked what the sermon was about. Cal replied, 'sin'. And what did you get out of the sermon he was asked, 'the preacher was against it'. Cal was a smart guy.

All of my suffering was not in vein. I did learn a few valuable lessons about happiness that I will gladly share with you:

1. When you've been suffering, it sure makes you happy when it ends.

2. It make me happy to have a good rant when I'm annoyed.

3. The world loves those that can convey the most with the least amount of words.

Absolutely brilliant!

While browsing through my morning paper I came across a small story that just blew me away!
The story in the business section was about a small flag company called Flagworks, that had increased its sales many fold. The owner, Arlene Flock, had made many changes when she took over the business. The one change that she made that had the biggest impact on the fortunes of the company is perhaps one of the most brilliant ideas I have ever heard of. Large corporations would pay a consultant big bucks for this idea!
This lady decided to only hire people who where happy! That's right if she didn't feel that you were'nt a really happy person, you didn't get the job. She went even further and hired a Happiness Manager. His job is as you might expect, is to find ways to keep her happy employees....HAPPY!
Before you write her idea off as goofy consider this; studies have proven that happy people are more productive, take fewer sick days, get along with others better and my favorite.....their brains work better. When it comes to employee retention I'm just betting that working with a bunch of happy people is not the kind of job people walk away from. This lady should be hired as a management guru, but since she too busy making money, maybe I'll just pirate the idea and say thank you very much.
Can you imagine how much good a Happiness Manager could do at a place like a hospital? And of course if they hired only happy people? I would not be the least bit surprised if sick people healed quicker, surrounded by all that positive energy. Or how about the post office? It makes my head spin to think of the possibilities. It makes me giddy just to think about this concept.
So if you are a business owner or a manager, you might have just found one fantastic tip!

UPDATE: This post was republished at www.business-opportunities.biz and as a result brought extra visitors to this site for which I am grateful for. One of the comments was from a lady who had this to say.....
Perhaps this could be applied to finding a marriage partner too! In fact, now come to think of it ….

Perfect weight, the fun and easy way!

Finding the answer to one of our societies most perplexing problems has been a challenge. What I am proposing is a different view to be sure. But stay with me and see if my theory makes sense to you?

Fat is stored heat. The measure of that heat is a calorie. My theory is that we collect fat in order to try and stay warm and comfortable. Thus the term, comfort foods.

So why are we so cold that we feel the need to collect and store fat on our bodies even in the warm temperatures of our homes and in the summertime?

Perhaps we are cold in our spirit? We somehow feel outside of where we want to be. Our life is out of balance. We are not feeling warm and loved. So no matter the temperature we try to warm up with food. And the foods that warm us up the quickest are those containing carbohydrates.

In a recent study done by the U.S. government, they determined the diet that had the most success amongst the most popular ones, was the Aitkens diet. The Aikens diet stresses carbohydrate reductions. Foods that contain the most carboyhydrates tend to be those that we classify as comfort foods.

So we've got to get right inside before we can get right outside. It may be that we have unresolved forgiveness issues or we've just lost appreciation for everything we have. It is important to find out the source of the unhappiness and fix it. You will notice that I said fix it! Don't tell me your problems, tell me your solutions. That's one of mankinds biggest crutches, hanging on to what troubles you, again I'll say it ...find solutions, you can if you decide you want to. Having problems finding solutions, try thinking positive and find some solitude, be patient and it will come.

Since my personal motto is...Life was meant to be fun, easy and overflowing with abundance.
Then the path to the body you want should be the same...fun and easy. That made me realize that most people expect it to be a struggle and would have a tough time envisioning it as being fun and easy. So the secret then is to pretend that it is fun and easy, pretend that you are so excited about the journey to a perfect healthy body. Get yourself so excited that you can't wait to get started. Imagine how people will look at you and how comfortable and poised you will be in your perfect body. You know that others will not only look at you differently but they will treat you nicer. Play with your thoughts and have fun with it because change is easier when you are having fun.

Release yourself from the struggle, strain and worry. Stop picturing the difficult and instead imagine this as a discovery, a great experience and a terrific story you will be able to share with friends once you are successful as you soon will be. By not trying so hard to do something and instead relaxing, you release your 'creative success mechanism'.

How about this? Consider that a slim, fit, healthy and toned body is the home that God intended for all of us. After all our body was meant to be our temple. And temples are meant to be beautiful. It would be a travesty to neglect our temple and use shoddy materials (food) in its construction.
Then the journey back to what God has intended for us (a beautiful body) should be like a trip home. It should be filled with the excitement like going home to a happy family that loves you and can't hardly wait for your return. It should be filled with day dreaming about what you are going to do when you get home (ideal body). Think of it as a fun road trip in a brand new convertible. Little and big adventures along the way, lots of experiences and discoveries. But mostly when you head home you know with all certainty that you will get there. You know the way home, there is never any doubt about that and you know how good it will feel when you get there. Wow, imagine that, wrap your head around the thought that this is going to fun and easy!

Perhaps it might help to write this out on a piece of paper and put it where you will see it often...coming home to my perfect body is fun and easy! If you are seeing and believing that message then it won't be long before you'll start finding your own ways to make it fun and easy.

If you found some value in this article then maybe there is someone you know who might benefit by it. If so please send it on...your comments would also be appreciated. Just click on the comments below and go for it! Thanks.... Eduardo

I have everything I need

Did you ever have one of those thoughts you just couldn't get out of your head? Me too!

Lately, I keep thinking....I have everything I need.

This is a strange thought for me because I know there is no beer in the fridge and the new BMW convertible (in the picture) that I've been dreaming about is no where to be seen. So amigo, what can this mean?

I have noticed for the past couple of weeks something different is happening in my life. Sometimes I'll be doing something and need a tool or I'll be writing and need an idea; then poof, I get the idea or I'll think of some way of improvising for a tool I don't have. Sometimes I need help and out of the blue, help appears.

So I'm thinking is it because I'm holding this belief that I'm seeing and finding possibilities I just might not have noticed before? Was everything I needed there, but just below my level of awareness?

What if I decide that I need 10 million dollars? Well, I'm pretty darn certain that baring a computer glitch, I can go to the bank and it won't be there.

However, if I assume that I have everything I need, then maybe I already have the ideas to manifest it? This is getting interesting!

For those of us who believe that what we concentrate on becomes real, this might be a really valuable thought. Whatever it is, I'm thinking this is a pretty good belief to have. So I'm keeping it. Anything that makes my life; fun, easy and abundant has to be a good thing.

Eduardo

Everything I need to know...I learned from the Happy Monk

"ah so grasshopper, I see you have returned to learn the secrets of happiness"

Yes, I did go and get the book on 'Happiness". It seems I was partly mistaken, the happy Monk was not as big on brevity as I first thought. However amigos, I will give the Cole's notes version to save you time and make this more fun and easy. Here is secret number one:

"it is difficult to change the world. It is possible and a lot easier to change the way we look at it"

This reminded me of an experience I had in Mexico while on a recent holiday. Each morning in Mazatlan I loved to get up early find my morning coffee, take my book and go down to the beach to read and contemplate. Usually I would have the beach to myself with the exception of the hotel employees.

Each morning I would be greeted by a Mexican man whose job it was to clean the beach. I have never met such a warm, friendly and happy man of menial labour. As he scooped up the cigararete butts and discarded debris he was either singing or whistling. I would look forward to his enthusiastic greetings....Buenas Dias Eduardo! It always felt like he was delighted to see me. And it wasn't just me he greeted that way, it was anyone who looked his way.

Over my two weeks there I watched touristas bring him coffee, give him money and even gifts. Amazing!

Here is a person with one of the lowest positions at the hotel and the rich (by comparison) tourists bring him gifts. Every gift is received with warm gratitude and a huge smile.

Another thing is that he spoke almost no English and yet he conveyed everything necessary to attract friendship. He is one of the happiest people I have ever met, hardworking and full of appreciation....a wealthy man full of abundance.

So back to what the happy Monk said about how you interpret your world, I'm thinking this guy knew he was living in Paradise and loving it. You might have noticed that both the Monk and the beach cleaner were poor (I'm sure hoping that there is no necessary connection there).

More later....

Who is the happiest guy on the planet?

If you guessed it's the next guy to marry Pamela Anderson, dude, you are seriously out to lunch. Nope, its the guy on the right....his name is Matthieu Ricard. He is a Frenchman (who would of guessed). He started out his working career as biologist and become world renowned. He had a pile of other achievements too long and boring to mention. Then he became a buddist monk and rose to become the Dalai Lama's right hand man.
They took this 'happy monk' and hooked him up to an MRI machine and measured all kinds of interesting stuff. What the scientists concluded was that this guy was off the scale in terms of mind control and his ability to increase the upbeat impulses in his brain! In conclusion Matthieu is one seriously happy guy.
Once they concluded that he was using his control over his mind and not some artificial means (drugs) naturally everyone wants to know how?
Matthieu obliged and wrote a book. Monks love to share and monks love brevity so he called his book...Happiness. Monks don't have much need for money so he donates his proceeds from the book to some Tibetan charity. In the book he tells us how we can become happy like him and his buddy the Dalai Lama and best of all we don't have to join any monestry. Whew, I'm not really big on celebacy!
I haven't read the book yet, but I found some quotes on the internet, which I'm happy to share:

"most people exist like beggars
unaware of the treasures
buried beneath their shack"

interesting..

"we can achieve happiness

like a bird soaring into the sky

when his cage is opened"

poetic guy too...

anyway, he gives practical techniques we can use to become happy like him and from what I've been able to ascertain it has lots to do with meditation and feeling gratitude for everything. Since mediatation has lots to do with being quiet, I'm thinking I'm been getting better at that already.

Something you should know is that these top level Buddist monks, they have a really great sense of humor. I read on the internet that a reporter asked the Dalai Lama what he would do if some nutcase burst into a room full of him and his fellow monks and wanted to murder everyone and the Dalai Lama had a gun. Here is what one the greatest inspirational and religous leaders in the world said.....I'd begin shooting him in the legs....If that didn't work, I'd move up to his head. Beautiful!

Since I am really big on being happy, I'm going to the bookstore tomorrow and see if they have the book. If I stop blogging, you will know that I'm just too darn happy to bother with this stuff anymore!

There is no reality

Ok, I know what you are thinking....Eduardo has really lost it this time. Lost touch with reality, must be time to call in the guys with the white coats to take him away.

However, before they come to get me, let me say this; There is no reality, only perception.

We all experience our world through the perceptions that we have. You could say that our perceptions are like filters. For instance if you view your world based on your past experiences, then you are allowing your past to dictate your present and your future.

If you have negative beliefs you will see faults in everything. This will limit your openess to a whole pile of opportunities that might come your way. Not good!

The good news is that we have the choice to decide how we are going to perceive any situation or event in our life and we can assign meaning and value to the situation. This is like positive thinking for smart people.

Let's say for instance that you are one those who holds a belief that 'things always work out for me'. Then it follows that whatever happens, you will automatically start looking for a solution. You just won't panic or get as down as another person with a less optomistic view of the world.

Imagine a person who carries around a belief like, 'I'm just not smart enough'? That person won't succeed in anything because they will be thinking to themselves, 'why bother trying anyway'.

So go ahead and delude yourself happily, at least you will open yourself to opportunities you might never have dreamed about..

What would be a good belief for you to have?

The 'on switch' for your brain

For a long time I didn't realize that my brain wasn't really turned on. I mean I could communicate, make a living and do all manner of things without hardly trying. So naturally I assumed that my brain was in gear and everything was working fine.

Then one day I discovered the 'on switch' and wow it was a whole new world. My first great discovery was that I wasn't really using my brain, I was simply operating on automatic.

The imput to my brain was coming from all sorts of sources; TV, Newspapers, radio, books and worst of all from other people. All these sources were merrily plugging their thoughts into my cranium and I was acting out the results they intended for me. They could make me feel good or bad depending on their whim. This is not good because I always thought I was smarter than the average bear!

However, I'm now glad to report that since I discovered the 'on switch' I have regained complete control. Now that I'm in control things are much better. I can push that happy button to my hearts delight (and trust me I do). I am understandably happier and I just keep having these great epiphanys. It feels so good I can't stop writing these articles. My brain is supercharged

and I'm loving it.

I know what you're thinking! What is the boy on? How do I get some and what's this 'on switch' you keep raving about?

First let me say that I've found that the simpliest things can be the most profound. So hold onto your shorts here it is....Silence. Yep, that's it, silence. You see when you shut out all external interference (like the radio, TV and the kids) you get silence and when you get silence your brain suddenly wakes up and says...hey, no stimulous must be time to go to work. Once that happens all sorts of thoughts start pouring in to fill the vaccum. Remember what they told us in school and on Star Trek, nature abhors a vacuum.

Isn't that great! But wait, there's more. Your brain has two channels, one is positive and one is negative and the dang thing keeps flipping from one channel to the other. Until you take control of this wonderful machine it can drive you nuts. Who the heck wants to have their brain feeding them a bunch of negative crap. The way you know that its negative crap is in your stomach. Yeah, I kid you not, the brain is hard wired to your stomach. When you get that feeling in the pit of your stomach you know damn sure the brain is on the negative channel again. So the solution to good programming is to pay attention to your gut. As soon as you start feeling it there switch the channel to positive thoughts. Ahhh, that feels better!

With some attention you can get really good at keeping your channel on positive. And man does that feel good. Plus, amigos, the really great ideas start to flow. Suddenly, you feel in control of your life. This is good stuff!

There is a caveat here, you'll get hooked on the positive channel of your brain. You won't be too pleased when someone trys to change channels on you. Those people whose brain is stuck on negative will annoy you and you will start to find yourself wanting to get away from them. Try as you will, to get them to turn on their positive channel and they will try even harder to turn on your negative channel. Thing is you will know that they are trying to do it to you, so your brain will be saying to you, let's get the heck away from this person before they take away this good feeling I'm really loving. Anyone who really knows me will tell you that I'm not a happy camper if you try to turn off my 'happy button'.

It takes a little practice but after awhile it starts to come naturally. You'll start looking for more silence but remember to keep it in balance or you become a hermit living in a cave. And you can become a real master of this technique when you can keep the channel on positive even when there is lots of outside stimulus bombarding your brain.

So turn off the radio and TV and turn on your brain, its fun, easy and will bring you tons of abundance in your life. Glad I could be here for you!

Eduardo

Don't be jealous of the rich, or you won't become one of us!

Perhaps you've seen one of those bumper stickers, which I found amusing. This is true! Feeling jealous of someone who has what you want is entirely counter productive.

What can be learned from being jealous....not a damn thing. Now on the other hand if you decided to yourself, they must have done something right so I'll use their lives as my mentor, then much can be learned.

Negativity and jealous about thoughts of wealth are restrictions you willing put around your neck. By accepting those type of beliefs you guarantee you won't become 'one of them'.

Really when you think about it, isn't a good thing that they achieved their incredible wealth? Hasn't the world gained immensely from the good stuff that Microsoft developed? And I can't help but wonder about the good Oprah does on her show trying to demonstrate that a better life is possible for ordinary people.

Then there is what they give back to society. That geek Mr. Gates is pledging almost all of his incredible fortune to charity. Even more impressive he's leaving Microsoft to run his foundation full time. This might turn into an even bigger contribution considering what a brainiac he is!

Oprah I think has done more good than any other television personality ever! Although I'm not a fan per se, every time I flip on her channel, I'm always struck with the idea that she is trying to do some good.

So aren't we lucky that they were the one's who ended up incredibly wealthy. Instead of feeling jealous we should praise their efforts and try to emulate them.

Where ever you are be there

Here is a simple way to get more enjoyment out of your day. It doesn't cost you a penny and the effect can be very dramatic. It's called as the title suggests...where ever you are be there.

It's a simple little exercise that works like this...for one day, be consciously aware of everything and everyone you come in contact with. Let's say for instance that you are eating a meal, slow down and savour every single bite. Pay attention to the texture and flavours of the food. Notice the colors on your plate, give it your full attention. If your having a glass of wine imagine you are one of those wine connoisseurs and describe back to yourself what flavors you taste or what it reminds you of. You will be amazed at how much more appreciation you will have for your food and drink.

As a side effect you won't feel the need to eat as much either.

Make a concious effort to give your full attention and appreciation to everyone that you come in contact with. You will start to see people in a whole new light. Suddenly the people that serve you become real people. You'll find ordinary people not so ordinary. Once you are more fully aware of the person you are talking to your exchanges become more warm and interesting. You will notice yourself talking less and listening more. The real bonus is that others will like you more and find you more interesting as well.

Paying attention to your environment you start to notice things that you never saw before. Your appreciation for nature rises sharply. You start to see beauty in places and things that would have escaped your attention previously. Little things, little details have greater significance. A mundane thing like driving to and from work becomes an experience. It really helps to turn the radio off, silence is golden.

One unexpected side benefit that I've experienced is that I get more ideas, hunches and intuitions. This is a fun exercise that is all good, but I do have more suggestion. That is to write this down on a piece of paper and put it where you will see it often.....

Where ever you are be there!

You will appreciate the reminder to bring you back into conscious awareness...enjoy!

Golden moments

The most impressionable times for your mind are those Golden Moments when you first wake up and just before you go to sleep. It is because this when your mind is most quiet. Other than meditation this is the most important time when you really must make the effort to protect yourself from any kind of negative thoughts and emotions. Of course it would be preferable to cast negative thoughts and feelings from your mind all the time but that takes a little dedication and practice.
These golden moments are perfect for giving gratitude for all that you have in your life. They are also the ideal time to dream about and ask for what you desire most in your life. A time to visualize having that which you desire. Guard these moments for they are extremely precious!
You can ensure that your day gets off to a wonderful start by visualizing good things happening to you and your loved ones.
And you can improve the quality of your rest if you go to sleep with pleasant loving thoughts. The real beauty of this concept is that you get to write the script. You can make these golden moments just as good as you can stand it.
You can literally change your life and make it fun, easy and full of abundance by treating your golden moments with reverance and by dreaming really big!

"The only real valuable thing is intuition"
Einstein

Rules for humans

"This is something that you should print and put somewhere to see often"


1. We only get one body. We may not like it, but it's the only thing we are guaranteed to keep for a lifetime.
2. We will learn lessons. Every person or incident is our teacher.
3. Lessons often appear as mistakes or failures. The only real mistake is not learning the lesson.
4. A lesson is repeated until learned. And if we are still here, we still have lessons to learn.
5. If we don't learn the easy lessons, they get harder. Pain is one way the universe gets our attention.
6. We'll know we've learned when our actions change. Only action turns knowledge into wisdom.
7. We will tend to forget these rules.
8. We can remember anytime we wish.

It's not known who wrote these rules but the more you read them the more you will appreciate the wisdom. Imagine if we taught these lessons to our kids while they were growing up. We would save them a lot of unnecessary pain. I read this a first a long time but (see rule #7).
Of course if you wanted to be a contrarian you could live by Thomas Edison's words...

"There ain't no rules around here!
We're trying to accomplish something"

I have a hunch you are going to like this..

We've all experienced sudden moments of knowingness. We know them as hunches, intuitions and flashes of insight. Here is what Dr. Joyce Brothers has to say about this...

'hunches are usually based on facts that are hidden just below the concious level'

So you could say that hunches are a form of inner wisdom. This wisdom can be experienced by a gut feeling, a flash of insight, a dream or an unexpected rush of energy.
Generally speaking our culture preaches logic and scoffs at intuition. So we were mostly trained to not trust these hunches. However, many of the worlds greatest inventions and visions were born in moments of doing nothing when the recipient was moved by an intuition. Benjamin Franklin flew a kite and Sir Isaac Newton loved to mediatate under an apple tree. They did quite well by their sudden insights. And I'm betting your mother had pretty good intuitions when you did something wrong!
So how do you encourage your own intuitions? First you need to find all available knowledge on the subject (remember that hunches are usually based on facts). Find your own special quiet spot that is free from distraction. Next you need to totally trust in yourself to find the answers. And finally when you get the hunch, write it down immediately. Hunches can be very fleeting insights that can be easily lost or forgotten. They are best captured when the mind has quiet moments and sometimes during mundane chores such as driving or showering. One thing is certain, you aren't likely to capture a great insight if the radio is blaring your favorite tunes.
My final comment is that if you don't use your insights when you do get them the mind automatically quits retrieving insights for you. So expect intuition to show up and it will!
And amigos think on this...

"you lose 100% of the opportunities
that you never go for"